story

Decisions

Written by Aley Waterman, Illustration by Julianna Brion

Is your crush at work married to someone else? Would any of your friends or ex-friends describe you as self-involved? Have you ever woken up beside the person you share a bed with every night and wondered, “Is this all there is?”

If some private corner of you whispered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, Aley Waterman’s flash fiction may be the perfect salve to soothe your existential demons.

Malcolm and Vanessa get noodles together during lunch and discuss starting a Frisbee club. Malcolm is from Toronto, knows the city, the ins and outs, has familiarized himself. Vanessa is not. She has only been here a year and is scared to make a wrong turn. She cozies in where she can. She has a lot of fear. It always feels, for Vanessa, that she is about to walk off the precipice of her reality and find herself cast adrift on a cloud of electricity, carrying her forth into the nothingness that encompasses her fear. 

— Aley Waterman

julianna brion

Julianna Brion is an award-winning illustrator based in Baltimore, MD. Her work spans from pencil and ink illustrations to mixed media and painting. She is also known for her "recycled sketchbooks," where she transforms used books into surfaces to paint and experiment. You may have seen her work in The New York Times, The New Yorker, TED, NPR, Nobrow Press, Penguin Books and many more. She spends her days in her Baltimore studio with her cat, Pencil, by her side.

aley waterman

Aley Waterman is a 27 year old writer from Newfoundland who lives in Toronto. She has recently started an MA in Creative Writing at University of Toronto where she will finish a manuscript of a novel. Her writing interests usually revolve around the soul, sincerity, and desire.